The Mystery Cube
by Giton
Summary: Crais and Talyn visit Moya, a mystery cube holds its own mystery


Disclaimer on punctuation and spacing: Fanfiction.net seems to take some out!  
  
Disclaimer: "Farscape" is a protected trademark and I'm just borrowing the characters. I promise to give them back once I've used them, hopefully more or less intact.  
  
Answer to a challenge at Utopia-4. The first 4 lines are the start of the Challenge.  
  
.  
  
Title: The Mystery Cube  
  
Author: GitonCrais  
  
Rating: General  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Keywords: Crais and Moya's crew  
  
Summary: Crais and Talyn are visiting Moya, a mystery cube holds its own mystery  
  
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The Mystery Cube  
  
By GitonCrais  
  
.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That!"  
  
"Oh, that?"  
  
John Crichton looked at the small cube in his hands. He had been playing absentmindedly with the multi-coloured cube ever since they had finished the morning repast. He kept twisting and turning it in his hands, changing the combinations of colours. The incessant clicking sound had produced a scowl from Crais, who was sitting at the end of the table.  
  
The others were fascinated by it.  
  
Ka D'Argo leaned forward, his eyes riveted on the small cube in Crichton's hands  
  
Chiana looked at it eagerly too, her fingers dancing impatiently on the table, "Is it a game?"  
  
Rygel had given it a brief glance, quickly judged it to be of no value, and decided to ignore the whole thing.  
  
Aeryn tried to look uninterested but her eyes kept coming back to it, intrigued.  
  
Only Crais didn't seem to be interested in it at all.  
  
Crais had arrived on Moya the day before on one of his occasional visits. Talyn, his Leviathan, had expressed the wish to speak with his mother. That had also meant that Crais would be joining the Moya-crew for a couple of days. As always, they were not particularly happy to see him and he either kept mostly by himself or, as he was doing now, sat somewhat apart from them, working on a data pad.  
  
Crichton smiled at the little group, "This is a Rubic's cube. It's a children's' game on Earth. I hadn't even realized that I had it in my bag."  
  
Chiana's eyes lit up, "Ooh, a game. I like games. What does it do?"  
  
"It doesn't do anything," replied Crichton, "You have to solve the puzzle."  
  
Crais glanced briefly at Crichton, but then returned to his work.  
  
Crichton continued, "You have to twist and turn the cube until all sides have the same colours." He demonstrated it by turning the cube's separate interlocking sides. Soon he had one corner in three matching colours. "You repeat this until all sides are the same matching colours," he concluded.  
  
Ka D'Argo was the first one to try it. The cube nearly disappeared in his big hands. His eyes were fully concentrated on the cube. But soon he grunted, then sighed, and after about 10 microns, he gave up trying to solve it. Every twist and turn only resulted in other colours changing where he had already lined the colours up. With a frustrated growl he tossed the cube on the table, "This is impossible to solve. What kind of a child's game is this?"  
  
Chiana picked up the cube, a look of delight and fascination on her face. She twisted and turned it, and even managed to line up a corner in the same way Crichton had done. But then she gave a frustrated yelp when her next turn changed the corner which colours she had already matched up. She too tossed it on the table. "I agree with D'Argo, this is impossible."  
  
Crichton handed the cube to Aeryn but she looked at him with a scowl, "I don't see why I have to start the day by getting frustrated. If it is a children's game, why do you have it?"  
  
Rygel, meanwhile, had moved away from the table and helped himself to some more food.  
  
Crichton looked over at Crais, "Yo, Crais! You want to give it a try?"  
  
Crais looked up from his data pad, "Why should I, Crichton? I'm busy. I have no time for childish games. Why don't you show the others how to solve the puzzle?"  
  
The others turned their attention to Crichton, "Yes, you show us, John."  
  
The smile disappeared from Crichton's face, "Well, I've never actually solved it yet."  
  
An amused smile appeared on Crais' face, "I thought you said it was a children's game."  
  
"Well, yeah, but it's not a very easy game."  
  
"Maybe we have need of a child to solve this," Crais said sarcastically.  
  
Crichton tossed the cube onto the table, "Maybe."  
  
After a short while, everyone left the galley. The cube lay forgotten in the middle of the table.  
  
.  
  
About an arn later, Crichton remembered that he had left the cube in the galley and returned to pick it up and put it back into his bag.  
  
When he arrived and reached for the cube, he found that the puzzle had been solved. All sides were in the same matching colours. A thoughtful frown creased his forehead. Who could have done this? There was no one in the galley; they all had left after breakfast.  
  
He scrambled the sides of the cube again and placed it back on the table.  
  
He took up a position opposite the galley door, hiding in the shadows. Whoever had done this would be tempted do so again, and he was going to find out who had solved the puzzle.  
  
.  
  
Ka D'Argo entered the galley first, stayed for about 10 microns and left again. Crichton stood up but he had to duck into the shadows again when Aeryn came around the corner and entered too. She also stayed in the galley for a short while before leaving. Crichton grew frustrated when, just as he decided he would enter the galley, Rygel and Crais came along and entered it together. They stayed longer. Then Rygel left, and Crais followed him a few microns later.  
  
When Crichton walked into the galley and looked at the cube, he found that the puzzle had once again been solved. He was still none the wiser as to who had done this.  
  
Again he scrambled the cube and left the galley.  
  
.  
  
Aeryn's voice came over the ship's comms, "John, can you give me a hand in the Maintenance Bay? I need assistance with some repairs here."  
  
After one last look, Crichton left his position. Nobody had re-entered the galley yet.  
  
.  
  
With repairs done, he hurried back once more to the galley. The puzzle had been solved again! Well, at least that ruled Aeryn out. He scrambled the cube once more, determined to find out who was doing this.  
  
.  
  
In quick succession, he helped both Ka D'Argo and Chiana with their chores. Each time, he returned to the galley afterwards, only to find the puzzle solved again. That only left two people, Rygel and Crais.  
  
He doubted that it could be Crais. Crais hated relaxation and games. Rygel loved puzzles, even if the Dominar wouldn't admit to it.  
  
He had to force the issue. Not knowing who kept solving the puzzle was almost as frustrating as trying to solve it himself.  
  
He left the puzzle scrambled on the table one final time, and then called Rygel to join him on Tier Two to sort out the supplies. That would definitely get Rygel's interest .  
  
They went through the supplies and he had to stop Rygel from "testing out" the food supplies.  
  
When he returned, the puzzle was solved again.  
  
.  
  
They gathered for the afternoon repast. The cube lay solved on the table. The others looked at it with surprise, except for Crais who had taken his plate and sat at the end of the table engrossed in his data pad, punching in adjustments while he ate slowly.  
  
"It's solved!" Chiana clenched her hands in glee.  
  
"Yes," replied Crichton calmly.  
  
"Who solved the puzzle?" Ka D'Argo's deep booming voice filled the galley.  
  
"Definitely not John," replied Aeryn, "He has already told us that he's never been able to do it, unless he spent the whole morning at it, which he didn't."  
  
"I didn't do it," said Rygel, "Children's games are beneath me as a Dominar."  
  
"It was Crais," said Crichton, "Wasn't it?"  
  
All eyes turned to Crais.  
  
Crais looked up calmly, "Yes."  
  
"I thought you were too busy to solve children's games," Crichton said with a sneer, "And yet, you've solved it six times. Wasn't once enough?"  
  
"I left it so the others would see that it could be done but someone kept scrambling it back up again. I presume it was you trying to work out who had solved the puzzle?" His eyes rested on Crichton.  
  
"Aha! You just couldn't resist the temptation to prove that you are superior," Crichton said triumphantly.  
  
"Why would I have to prove that," said Crais with calm arrogance.  
  
His remark irritated Crichton and produced a low growl from Ka D'Argo.  
  
"If you've really solved it by fair means, then you won't mind showing us again," coaxed Crichton. He received a scowl from Crais.  
  
"Yes," Ka D'Argo looked at Crais, "Show us that it can be done fairly. Peacekeepers can't be trusted."  
  
"I am not a Peacekeeper anymore," said Crais through gritted teeth.  
  
"But you still think like one," retorted Ka D'Argo.  
  
For a moment it looked as if Crais was just going to leave the galley. His eyes lit up with anger and his jaw muscles twitched. Then he regained his usual equanimity. "Very well," he said, bringing himself under control. He moved over to the others.  
  
Crichton picked up the cube and scrambled the sides one last time, showing the others that the sides were totally mixed up before passing it back over to Crais. He looked at his watch to see how fast Crais would do it. He vaguely remembered that the record had once been set at twenty-eight seconds.  
  
Crais looked at the cube briefly and then his hands twisted and turned the sides with remarkable speed. Nothing on his face or in his eyes showed that he had to concentrate any harder than usual on the task. Twenty microts later he placed the cube back on the table. The puzzle was solved.  
  
Crichton stared at it and at his watch with an open mouth.  
  
"That is incredible," he said when he finally found his voice again, "No one has ever done it faster."  
  
"Not even your Erp's children?" asked Crais with an amused smile.  
  
"It's Earth not Erp," exclaimed Crichton. He still couldn't understand why a man who could be so brilliant in many ways (he grudgingly admitted that to himself), who could pronounce names other people could get laryngitis over, just couldn't pronounce the name of Crichton's planet.  
  
"How did you do it?" Rygel asked Crais in surprise.  
  
"It was easy," replied Crais with a cocked eyebrow, "As Crichton said, a child can do it."  
  
Crais left the galley, leaving the others in stunned silence.  
  
.  
  
When Crais returned to Talyn, the youngster was happy to have him on board again. Talyn was always pleased to talk to his mother, but now he was eager to be back in space again ~You are happy, Crais, much happier than you usually are when you return from Moya. Did something happen?~  
  
Crais smiled, "Yes, I am, Talyn. And something did happen. Crichton tried to baffle the others with an Erp-puzzle. He even told them that a child could do it, and he was very much enjoying the frustration of the others when they then found the solution difficult. I proved that it was indeed easy."  
  
~Will that stop him from doing this again? Especially when you are around?~  
  
"I doubt it will," Crais said with a sigh.  
  
He looked at the Navigation console and plotted their next course, deeper in the Uncharted Territories. Maybe he would find something more challenging there.  
  
.  
  
The End  
  
1 


End file.
